


Between Chasing and a Canvas

by pumpkingoddess



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-12 05:49:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11730777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumpkingoddess/pseuds/pumpkingoddess
Summary: Minhyuk is working at an old friend’s, Hyungwon, tattoo parlor. He falls in love with everything about the shop: the tranquility, his coworkers, the art that is produced, and not to mention Hoseok, who works at a neighboring flower shop. Once they meet, Minhyuk can’t stop thinking about the boy with the fear of needles. With the help of his coworkers, he finds himself muster the courage to continuously talk to the flower boy across the street, exceeding with failure and frustration.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this was super fun to write and imagine. I based this off the whole “imagine a flower shop/tattoo artist AU, then imagine whoever would obviously be which and switch them.” Ergo, tattoo artist Minhyuk and flower shop owner Hoseok. I wish I could write this a thousand different times, a thousand different ways, because it’s such a cute idea, imo, but anyway enjoy! It’s not too long, but I hope the sweetness suffices.

The wooden broom in Minhyuk’s grasp continually slipped between his hands as he tried to clean the hardwood floors of his new found home.

Although, it wasn’t a home at all, but it sure felt like it. 

Thanks to Hyungwon, one of Minhyuk’s closest friends, Minhyuk became part of the tattooing team at Electric Lotus Tattoo. After several years of art school, with half a handful of degrees and certificates, Minhyuk finally landed himself with a job that he loved and adored. It may not be the steadiest of incomes, but luckily for Minhyuk, his personality sold himself just as much as his fine art did. Although, he would never admit it, but people were simply attracted to his outgoing character and charisma. Even his co workers soon realized that Minhyuk simply had an aura that was both charming and calming, a combination that was in dire need in this daunting profession. 

It was his last day of his first week at Electric Lotus, but it certainly wasn’t his first time tattooing. He began as an apprentice a year prior, and slowly began to build some clientele at another shop. Once Hyungwon solidified his business he agreed that he would take Minhyuk on. It was a slow process, but Minhyuk had finally had some business and had an official place at Electric Lotus. 

He couldn’t imagine working any other place. 

Electric Lotus was incredibly small, even compared to most other tattoo shops, but Minhyuk fell in love with Hyungwon’s vision. It was completely intimate, just enough space for about three tattoo tables. However, there was a spiral staircase within the establishment that led upstairs to Hyungwon’s main office and a place for the artists to work on their art and craft. Minhyuk had his own station within the shop to call his own while he had additional space upstairs, thanks to Hyungwon, to work on his own personal art. 

Although Minhyuk felt incredibly happy about his current situation, he didn’t enjoy the weight that he held closely to his heart; he imagined he owed Hyungwon for this opportunity. As Minhyuk finished cleaning the floor of the shop before they left for their weekend, he couldn’t help, but think of the ways in which he was indebted to his friend. Both Minhyuk and Hyungwon knew the current strain on their friendship and Hyungwon was the only one of them able to talk about it.

“You shouldn’t feel this way, but it will disappear with time I suppose,” he said, stoically, between shuffling papers and looking his busy self at his desk the week before Minhyuk started. His glasses hung loosely from his face, teetering on the tip of his nose. “You already have appointments, clients. You love it here. People love having you here. Imagine yourself as a missing puzzle piece, Minhyuk.”

That made Minhyuk feel a little better. 

A few more minutes until the shop was closing, but Minhyuk had a feeling he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. His hands itched for brushes and paint. He wanted color splashed on a canvas. He wanted to create, to use his imagination to explore something he could imagine on his own. 

Suddenly, the bell atop the door made a small jingle, revealing someone walking through the door. Minhyuk, who was hidden behind the stairs, peaked around the corner to see who was standing in the doorway. A guy, relatively his height and possible age, stood in front of the counter. His hair was a black, darker than the deepest color. In the light it almost shined blue. He had on a black apron that looked like it was smudged with dirt and in his hands was a bright pink orchid in an even more vivid blue pot. His eyes wandered around around the shop, glancing at the art mounted on the walls. Minhyuk couldn’t help, but wonder what he might have been thinking. As he decided to lean the broom against the wall, Minhyuk could feel his heart began to beat faster, but he swiftly stashed the broom and came from his hiding place and around the counter in one swift motion.

As he stepped closer to the guy at the counter, Minhyuk’s gaze landed on the guy’s biceps. He felt his jaw completely come unhinged as he tried to pull his ogling eyes to the man’s face.

“Hi, we’re actually closing shortly. Boss needs to start the weekend early, but I could probably help you in the meantime,” Minhyuk offered, hoping to not scare him away too much. Initially, he was biting at the bit to have the opportunity to leave early, but now he was willing to stay if it meant working with the raven haired man. 

Who giggled. 

He giggled and flashed a smile at Minhyuk, who felt his body freeze with the gesture. He felt completely captivated by the man holding the flower pot. 

“Can’t say I’m too fond of tattooing.” 

Ouch.

Minhyuk, unable to hide any form of emotion, must have looked disgusted, because the guy across the counter’s smile faded quickly. Instead, his eyes considerably roamed around the parlor, not meeting Minhyuk’s stare. He licked his lips. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he began to apologize as he fixated on Minhyuk’s sleeves, probably losing count of the number of tattoos before meeting Minhyuk’s eyes again. 

“I’m so sorry, that came out so wrong. I only laughed, because well, I’m deathly afraid of needles. I honestly have goosebumps coming in here. See look,” Flower boy offered Minhyuk his arm, identifying the bumps prickling on his skin. “I didn’t mean to insult you at all. I think they’re beautiful, just not - “

“For you?” Minhyuk finished, sealing his reply with a smile. “It’s fine. I can’t help my face when I’m displeased with something. Kind of a curse. So, if you’re not here for tattooing, what can I do for you?”

The guy shifted his stance looking a little more relaxed than before. “Um, I’m actually, looking for Hyungwon, your boss right?” 

“Oh, he’s upstairs. Let me -” 

Before Minhyuk could finish his sentence, Hyungwon yelled from the loft above. Minhyuk and the guy over the counter glanced above them to see Hyungwon peeking over the railing. 

“Hoseok,” Hyungwon greeted and proceeded to come down the stairs leading to the ground floor. “What can I help you with? This is pretty late for you.” 

The guy, Hoseok, smiled in return. “Jooheon and I are redoing some inventory things for some new stuff coming in tomorrow and I wanted to bring you this.” Hoseok handed the small flower pot to Hyungwon. “Just some last minute organizing.”

Minhyuk and Hoseok watched as Hyungwon descended from the stairs. His glasses that rested at the tip of his nose clung dangerously to the tip. 

As Hyungwon approached Hoseok, he took the orchid from Hoseok’s hands, staring at it admiringly as he brought it up to his eyes, gazing at it closely. “Wow this is really beautiful, thank you!” Hyungwon said, setting the pot on the counter and giving Hoseok a hug in return. Minhyuk, who never saw Hyungwon this affectionate, stood cemented in his spot. 

Minhyuk couldn’t take his eyes off Hoseok. His hair was short, compared to Minhyuk’s at least, and he had it somewhat styled in the front. However, Hoseok’s physique was what made Minhyuk feel trapped in his position. Minhyuk noticed before that Hoseok’s arms were big, but his tight collared shirt wasn’t helping; his rolled up sleeves hugged his biceps, seizing his round arms completely. Minhyuk would bet that the threads were doing their best to hold the material together. He also couldn’t help, but notice that Hoseok was wearing the tightest black jeans, dirt smudged on his knees, that accentuated his thighs. 

Through his gaze, he let a small, “Wow,” slip through his teeth. 

Hyungwon turned his head toward Minhyuk, who realized quickly that he actually said that out loud. Feeling his cheeks turn warm, he immediately covered one side of his face with his hand. 

“Minhyuk, this is Hoseok, we’ve been friends ever since I bought this place. He works across the street at Infinity Petals. Hoseok, this is Minhyuk. We were friends in art school and he finally got his act together and decided to work here. It’s his first week,” Hyungwon said, completely ignoring Minhyuk’s tiny outburst, if they even heard him at all.

Hoseok extends one of his arms, offering Minhyuk a hand. Minhyuk shakes it in turn, and feels the strength in Hoseok’s grasp. His hand is calloused, but not terribly rough. His hands are warm compared to Minhyuk’s icy, cold fingers and Minhyuk felt suddenly embarrassed with his dainty hand in Hoseok’s grasp, but he shakes the feeling and gives Hoseok a smile.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you. The flower is really nice, it matches the shop aesthetic completely,” Minhyuk beamed. Hoseok peered around the shop, hand still stretched to Minhyuk, taking in the neon electric colors. Minhyuk loved the shop’s look contrasting colors with minimal black to make the look not too overwhelming. 

Hoseok eventually pulled his hand back, brushing at his cheek sheepishly. 

“Yeah, I really love it here. Hyungwon really did something with this place,” Hoseok admitted, punching Hyungwon lightly on his shoulder. In return, Hyungwon simply glared at his friend who seemed mildly spooked, yet entirely happy to be playfully hassling his friend. Changing the subject, Hoseok quickly added, “Orchids are my favorites and I thought they would fit this place really nicely. They need a good home.” 

“We’ll do our best to provide that for it,” Hyungwon said. “Hopefully Minhyuk doesn’t kill it.” Suddenly, the phone upstairs began to ring, signaling for Hyungwon. “Ah, not now.” Hyungwon rolled his eyes. “That’d be for me. Thanks again, Hoseok. Come by soon.” Minhyuk’s boss leaned in to hug his friend before he ran upstairs to answer his landline.

Hoseok gently brushed the petals of the orchid between his fingers and glanced at Minhyuk’s arm. Minhyuk watched as Hoseok’s gaze wandered from Minhyuk’s wrist to his bicep, clearly studying each of Minhyuk’s tattoos. Hoseok’s stare made Minhyuk shift behind the counter and tug on his shirt sleeve, unable to say anything to the man on the other side. 

Hoseok then met his eyes to Minhyuk’s. “Sorry,” he said between a quick smile. “I couldn’t help, but look. I think that one is my favorite,” Hoseok added, pointing at the left sleeve of Minhyuk’s plain white t-shirt. 

Minhyuk glanced to his left arm despite knowingly well which tattoo Hoseok had been referring too. It was Minhyuk’s favorite as well, and one of his first pieces: a small branch of bright pink cherry blossoms that began on his chest and extended to the inside of his left arm. The artist who did it captured Minhyuk’s image perfectly: the subtly of the blossoms and the vibrancy of the pink petals themselves was everything that Minhyuk had hoped for in such a big piece. 

“Thanks!” Minhyuk said, maybe a little to enthusiastically. He lifted his arm so Hoseok, who was now leaning over the counter, could see the innerside of the artwork as well. “It starts here,” he remarked, pointing a finger to his chest, “and just kind of works it’s way over.”

Minhyuk saw that Hoseok’s mouth held itself slightly agape as he gazed at Minhyuk’s arm. 

“I’ll show you the rest some day,” Minhyuk added. He felt his eyes completely bulge, almost popping from his skull, as he wanted to shriek of embarrassment. 

I’ll show you the rest some day?

Minhyuk couldn’t help, but internally combust from his lame attempt at flirting. 

He couldn’t stand his own presence at this point as he was becoming too flustered and could feel it in his cheeks. 

On the other hand, Hoseok only looked up at Minhyuk and said, “Well, I’m looking forward to it.” 

Minhyuk immediately gulped and crossed his arms, wanting to shrink and hide from his sudden burst. 

As Minhyuk began to fold himself several different ways, Hoseok tilted his head, looking at the top of Minhyuk’s head. “I like that hair color too. I feel like it suits you. Makes you seem like you were meant to work here.” 

Minhyuk could feel his eyes squint, wearing his emotions on his face once again, unable to understand what Hoseok was saying.

Hoseok cleared his throat. “You know what I mean. It’s just super bright, that kind of purple… blue hue. It fits. It kind of matches with the decor here you know. It’s like you were made for this place.”

Now Minhyuk really could not help, but feel the emotions plastering themselves on his face. A grin broke out, stretching from ear to ear. The validation of a stranger saying that he was meant for this place gave him a warm sensation in the pit of his stomach. Hoseok really had no intention of the compliment he just handed Minhyuk. 

“Thank you,” Minhyuk beamed sheepishly. “That’s really too kind for you to say. I try.”

“He doesn’t try at all actually, it’s kind of annoying,” Hyungwon shouted over the ledge above them. “Everyone that walks through that door falls in love with him,” he quickly added, leaning over the banister and pointing at the door near Minhyuk and Hoseok. “They’re captivated by that damn cheerful laugh and charming smile. Take that as a warning Hoseok.” Hyungwon laughed and left the railing once again. 

“A warning, huh?” Hoseok asked Minhyuk. His eyes secretly and unknowingly tormenting Minhyuk. “Not sure if I can abide.”

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Minhyuk huffed, trying to brush off Hyungwon’s comment and Hoseok’s simultaneously. He shuffled some paperwork behind the counter. “I’ve only been here a week and-”

“I said what I said, Minhyuk!” Hyungwon shouted from above, but never appears again.

Minhyuk rolled his eyes at his friend, and boss, unable to hide any form of expression. He shook his head and laughed at Hyungwon’s outburst. Minhyuk always wondered how his and Hyungwon’s personality never clashed as much as he could imagine, but he is realizing more than ever that they’re essentially two sides of the same coin. 

Hoseok laughed, still lingering on the other side of the counter. “Well, I better get going. Although, I would love to stay for this,” Hoseok points to Minhyuk and then gestures upstairs to Hyungwon, “but my partner is probably already wondering where I am right now.”

Minhyuk stops shuffling and squirming on the other side of the counter. 

“Partner?” he choked. 

“Yeah, business partner. I own Infinity Petals with a friend of mine, Jooheon.”

Minhyuk felt his heart immediately speed up and slowly find a normal pace in the matter of seconds. He nodded along to Hoseok’s comment like it didn’t phase him.

Hoseok cleared his throat again. “It was nice meeting you, Minhyuk. I’ll be sure to muster some courage to come in here again to see you,” Hoseok said quietly, before adding, “Oh, and Hyungwon of course,” before he was practically out the door. 

Minhyuk smiled and waved to the dark haired man and watched him as he crossed to the other side of the street and disappeared once walking through the front door of Infinity Petals. He couldn’t help, but leave his thoughts to linger on the subtle flirting and continuous smiles that Hoseok kept throwing Minhyuk’s way. After the banter, Minhyuk felt completely light headed and dazed, unable to think of what he should be doing in the shop. He couldn’t stand still for a matter of five seconds or less. He shuffled papers that were already in a perfect pile, swept the same spot of the floor several times, and continuously sat on the stool at the front desk just to stand up milliseconds later. 

“Alright, Minhyuk, I’m heading out. You staying?” Hyungwon said as he descended from the spiral staircase, looking like tattooed royalty. 

Minhyuk nodded. “I think I’m going to paint.”

Hyungwon said his goodbyes before walking out the front door and locking it behind him.

Minhyuk sighed and scrambled up the stairs. He walked over to his art station in the back corner of the loft, staring at an empty canvas on his easel. Colors swirled and enveloped his thoughts, but he stood in silence for awhile before he even lifted up a brush. He grabbed two colors, red and white, and began to mix on his palette, whirling to create new hues. Minhyuk painted in the absolute silence of the tattoo parlor with only one thing in particular on his mind. Losing track of time, Minhyuk was shocked to see that the nearest clock read 11:00 PM once he backed away from his canvas. The in-progress painting was a punch to the gut as he cleaned up his work area, trying not to look at his work as he picked up his mess. 

Before heading home, Minhyuk stopped at the beginning of the stairs before jogging down, glancing back and sighing at the intensely detailed depiction of pink orchids.


	2. Chapter 2

The buzz of the gun in Minhyuk’s grasp was electrifying, but his hand never rested more steady. A girl, in her early twenties, lied on the table with her head titled to the side, refusing to look at Minhyuk as she chewed on her fingernails one at a time. It was her first tattoo, and she was beyond nervous, but sought out Minhyuk and his abilities the moment she saw one of his pieces in a portfolio. 

“She tracked you down, Minhyuk. She came in asking if you worked here, showing me a piece you did for someone like a year ago,” said Hyungwon one afternoon the moment Minhyuk walked through the door.

Minhyuk was shocked by someone trying to find him when there were a thousand of different artists of the same caliber. Hyungwon explained that it was a piece of two fish, swimming in opposite directions, which sounded simple, but the shading and color of the piece was the most captivating part. It didn’t look simple; it was elegant and graceful and depicted the fish moving, something that took too much skill to convey. The young girl demanded an appointment with Minhyuk for not only his talent, but she was sold on his energy and enthusiasm as well, which stumped Minhyuk. All he did was read body language, which evolved and shaped his profession. 

The piece the girl wanted was also naturistic, secretly Minhyuk’s preference when it came to tattooing and art. He also happened to decent with the genre; he favored color and light, yet found a balance in the simplicity of nature. Her imagined tattoo was the size of her hand. She explained days ago that she wanted something incorporating the sun and moon coming together to look like something cohesive, but most importantly, wanted Minhyuk to run with the idea. She emphasized again and again that she saw his work, she trusted him, and when she came in the morning of to see Minhyuk’s vision, she brought her hands to her mouth in shock.

“It’s perfect,” she gasped. 

They then discussed color, which again, she indicated was in Minhyuk’s hand. She loved his past work and knew that he could easily be trusted.

They were an hour into their session and she fell silent. Minhyuk could tell she was scared, whether it be the pain or reluctancy of allowing something so permanent be etched into her body, so Minhyuk tried several tactics to keep her calm. Questions about her life were first: where she was from, what she was doing with her life, and then why she chose the concept of her tattoo. Every once in awhile Hyungwon would find his way over when he was ignoring other duties around the shop, giving his thoughts about Minhyuk’s work. However, lulls of silence filled the workplace as Minhyuk allowed the buzzing of the gun seep into their ears and let their thoughts take over their mouths every once in awhile. 

During lull, the door flung open, and the bell above the frame chimed aggressively. Minhyuk didn’t have to look up from his station to see who was strutting into Electric Lotus like royalty. 

He knew it was Kihyun.

Over the past week Minhyuk became infatuated with Kihyun. They were instant friends, and unlike Minhyuk and Hyungwon who were relatively the same person, Kihyun couldn’t be any more different than Minhyuk. He was cold, yet always in other people’s business, constantly interrupting and bestowing his personal opinions onto others when no one asked. It’s not like he was brash and rude with his clients, but with Hyungwon, Minhyuk, and Shownu, Kihyun was continually getting on his coworkers’ last nerves. 

Kihyun was a trickster and someone Minhyuk didn’t trust right away despite being drawn to Kihyun’s complex personality. Thankfully Kihyun never took his jokes and pranks too far, which in turn, just lightened up the parlor when it was intensely slow during their long hours. 

On Tuesday, one of their coworkers Hyunwoo, the most silent and stoic one of the bunch, went to the bathroom, leaving his phone at his station. Kihyun immediately grabbed it and changed his phone settings to a different language. Hyunwoo left it like that for the rest of the day. Kihyun would only burst into hysterics anytime he saw Hyunwoo glancing at his phone, exasperating a heavy sigh. Minhyuk and Hyungwon couldn’t help themselves and stifled their laughter, trying not to encourage Kihyun’s behavior; which, in reality, didn’t need any form of encouraging whatsoever. 

Thursday Kihyun decided to target Hyungwon, which shocked Minhyuk, but luckily for Kihyun, Hyungwon can take a joke. 

Kihyun snuck into the bathroom and cupped a hand with a tiniest bit of water and then came out. Hyungwon, who’s back was facing the bathroom, was sitting at the front counter, glancing at the small computer resting on the desk. Kihyun scurried behind him and pretended to sneeze, splashing the cold water on Hyungwon’s head and neck, resulting in Hyungwon screaming and Kihyun immediately leaping away from Hyungwon. After realizing it was Kihyun, Hyungwon jumped from his seat, his arm reaching out, barely swiping Kihyun’s shirt. Kihyun, who was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach, bolted from the shop and ran out the door, not only grasping at his sides, but gripping onto his token beanie so it wouldn’t fly off. Hyungwon, who barely made it out of the shop, stopped in front once he saw that Kihyun ran to the end of the block. He was a small speck at the end of the street once Minhyuk followed after Hyungwon; Kihyun’s pink hair and dark clothing were his only identifiers. 

Kihyun was certainly a tough pill to swallow at first, but Minhyuk loved having Kihyun around the shop. They were constantly making each other laugh and Minhyuk couldn’t help, but encourage some of Kihyun’s antics. Sure, he was sarcastic and teased everyone, but he was also incredibly friendly and helpful to Minhyuk the first week he was there. Minhyuk felt like he could ask Kihyun for any advice and because of his honesty, Minhyuk knew he would be getting Kihyun’s true and genuine opinion. 

Minhyuk didn’t even want to look up from his station as he prepped for his afternoon. He could hear Kihyun’s feet stomp on the floor and eventually stop, followed by a loud clearing of Kihyun’s throat. Minhyuk rolled his eyes and glanced up from his workspace to see typical Kihyun. He had on a plain black t-shirt with a flannel tied around his waist and ripped black jeans. He wore a black beanie that kept his bright pink hair back while he worked and had circle framed sunglasses teetering on the edge of his nose. Kihyun was holding his signature large iced coffee and his phone grasped in his other hand. He stood in the doorway staring directly at Minhyuk.

“Good afternoon, my friend,” Kihyun announced loudly, stepping through the threshold of the shop. In a completely shrill voice Kihyun added, “Hi, Kihyun. You look so good today. Wow I can’t believe how handsome you are.” Minhyuk rolled his eyes Kihyun’s ploy for attention by imitating Minhyuk. “Wow, thanks Minhyuk! You are so nice, maybe when you grow up you’ll be as handsome as I am.” His voice childish and mocking.

Minhyuk scoffed and glanced down at his client.

“Aren’t you glad that you get to leave here and never have to deal with that guy again?” Minhyuk pretended to whisper, but actually said it loud enough for Kihyun to hear.

“Hey!” Kihyun shouted from his station, setting his drink on his desk. His sunglasses still planted on his face. “I know you’re new here, but this is a reminder to respect your elders.” 

“Do you hear that? That old man is trying to talk to me again,” Minhyuk continued talking to his client, who was trying to quiet her laughter. “Usually I just let him talk to himself in his corner.”

Kihyun, sunglasses still on, took a seat in his chair. “Whatever,” he scoffed, pulling out his phone, beginning to scroll through social media no doubt, while sipping on his iced coffee. 

Minhyuk went back to tattooing the client in his chair. She’s almost there, but Minhyuk can see her eyes watering and asked if she needed a break. She denied him and told him that she can do this. 

“That’s what I like to hear! You totally have this,” Minhyuk encouraged, causing her to giggle as she wiped some of her tears. The buzz of the gun filled the room as Minhyuk finished up the last marks for his client, who had calmly been resting in the chair since she collected herself. “Kihyun, what do you have going on today?” 

Kihyun swiveled around in his chair. “I’m so busy the next few days,” Kihyun whined. “I’m completely booked.”

“Oh my God,” Minhyuk cried, backing away from his client. “You complain if you have work, you whine if you don’t!”

Kihyun groaned, “Leave me alone, Minhyuk,” dragging out the Minhyuk’s name. 

“You two are funny,” Minhyuk’s client said, giggling.

“Shhh, don’t say that. He’ll hear you!” Minhyuk whispered.

“See Minhyuk! Someone thinks I’m funny,” Kihyun announced proudly as he tossed his empty coffee cup into the trash and took off his glasses. 

Minhyuk shook his head. “The guy has been here for thirty minutes and he just now took off his sunglasses,” he chided. 

Kihyun slowly turned to face Minhyuk, but stood in his spot. 

“You better watch yourself Lee Minhyuk. If I didn’t have people coming in today, oh boy,” Kihyun seethed. 

Minhyuk laughed and turned back to his client who he knows is extremely uncomfortable by the expression on her face. He decided to tell her the stories about Kihyun to try to relax her. Within minutes Minhyuk had the girl laughing, which caused him to stop every few seconds so she could calm down again and he can continue marking her skin. Although Minhyuk is still new to the trade, he had learned enough that distraction is key for clients who can’t handle the pain. His current client clearly was determined to sit through the pain no matter what, making Minhyuk want the process to be as easy as it could. Even when his storytelling was done, he continued to ask her questions about her life and she talked, wincing every once in awhile, but for the most part looked content as she spoke to Minhyuk. 

Hyungwon wandered downstairs before prepping his station for a client and looked at Minhyuk’s work, mentioning how he loved the lines. 

“Has she looked yet?” Hyungwon asked and Minhyuk shook his head. “Wow,” he drew out his reply and walked away. 

“Did you hear that Minhyuk? You left Hyungwon speechless!” Kihyun shouted from his station as he continued to prep. 

Minhyuk laughed and shrugged off his coworkers comments. He’s simply doing his job and his job just happened to be something he’s extremely talented at. The piece on her thigh was coming out great though, but he won’t admit that to the girl in his chair. She made it easy on him by giving him so much freedom.

“That’s why I picked you. The pieces you’ve created are… beautiful,” the girl said before quickly adding, “Just to say the least.” Minhyuk smiled, coupling it with a thank you, before stepping back and looking at the piece one last time. 

“Are you ready?” he asked his client. She nodded silently. Minhyuk set his tools down and helped her off the table, grasping her hands in his as she wiggled off. 

He guided her to the mirror as she kept her eyes shut. Kihyun gathered around Minhyuk to watch the great reveal.

“Hyungwon was wrong. ‘Wow’ was an understatement,” Kihyun said standing behind Minhyuk who shushed him. 

“Don’t ruin the moment!” he added before he counted to three for his client to open her eyes. 

As her eyelids fluttered open, her hands immediately fly to her mouth and tears well in her eyes. 

“Oh my God,” she said with her hands still covering his mouth. “It’s beyond everything I could ever imagine. It’s beautiful. It’s… I can’t believe it. You made it real,” she said. 

The happiness on the girl's face spread to Minhyuk’s heart. He feel the warm in her voice as she conveyed her excitement over his work. It showed Minhyuk and proved to his client that the process is worth the pain and low tormenting in the chair. Her piece wasn’t necessarily big, but this was a feat for her easily. 

Minhyuk backed away to grab gauze to cover the freshly tattooed leg. Once he came back, she is still looking in the mirror, her face still expressing shock as she repeated thank you again and again to Minhyuk. He covered her leg with the bandage and tape, securing it safely from any damage. He gave her a sheet with some instructions for aftercare and highlighted some of the most important things verbally. 

“If you have any questions or any problems, please don’t hesitate to call me. I wrote my direct on top of the paper,” Minhyuk mentioned.

The girl glanced at the paper and listened intently to Minhyuk’s words, but he found her eyes shifting to her leg instead, making him smile.

“I can’t thank you enough, Minhyuk,” she said. “I’m going to hug you,” she added before flinging her arms around his neck, something he wants expecting, but returned the gesture. 

“I’m so glad you like it,” he said and let go. 

They walk to the counter and Minhyuk told her the total for her time. She handed him a wad of cash and told him to keep the rest, thanking him again for his work and time. Before she exited the door, she quickly added that she will be back soon. Minhyuk laughed and waved his goodbye. 

“She seemed nice,” Kihyun mentioned as he drew at his desk. 

Minhyuk nodded and solemnly walked to his station, cleaning up for his next client who is not scheduled for a few hours, but is in desperate need of recoloring an extremely faded tattoo. Nothing Minhyuk can’t handle. 

During his cleanup, the door sounded and in walked Hyunwoo. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt that completely showed off his arms and dipped down to exposing his stomach, completely revealing the heavy tattoos that clung to his skin all over his body. Out of everyone at the shop, Hyunwoo was the one with the most tattoos, which was surprising considering his usually covers them with long sleeves and long pants. Today was different with Hyunwoo wearing a tank and shorts, displaying all his tattoos for any wandering eyes. Hyunwoo, who was not only completely fit and tall, was stoic and silent, and his tattoos only add to his daunting presence. However, out of all of them at Electric Lotus, Hyunwoo was the most kind and sincere; even more than Minhyuk and he wouldn’t normally admit that. In the end, it was Hyunwoo that Minhyuk felt most comfortable with when asking questions about the shop. Although Hyunwoo had an intimidating appearance, his personality proved much more than what he showed the rest of the world. 

The shop was busy for the next few hours. Walk in’s looking for appointments, advice, a new artist. It’s relatively busy as Hyunwoo and Kihyun also have people walking in for appointments. Minhyuk did his best taking care of the rest of the shop, with Hyungwon coming in and out to help while working on other things for clients. Even though there were a few hours of business, the shop lulls again. With Hyunwoo finishing up details with his client and Kihyun going back to drawing and prepping for his client the following day. Minhyuk sat at the desk and played some light music to lighten the mood in the shop. Suddenly, Minhyuk became entranced by some movement across the street as he glanced out the window.

He saw Hoseok, the owner of the flower shop across the street wearing a black collared shirt with his sleeves rolled up and the same apron from the other day tied tightly around his waist. Minhyuk watched as he pulled in the pots and plants that they had displayed outside the shop.

“Minhyuk,” Hyungwon called, ripping his friend from his trance. “What are you looking at there, Minhyuk?”

Minhyuk noticed that Hyungwon hadn’t even glanced from his paperwork that he was scribbling on aggressively as he stood next to Minhyuk while he sat on the stool.

“Oh, nothing,” Minhyuk tried to cover, and reached for a pen to intertwine between his fingers, keeping himself occupied from the dark haired man across the street. He began to doodle on a napkin that rested underneath his bottle water. 

“Minhyuk,” Hyungwon sighed and clucked his tongue.

“What did Minhyuk do?” Kihyun suddenly shouted from his station, clearly interested by the possibility of drama stirring in the shop.

Hyungwon still wouldn’t meet Minhyuk’s eyes, but he spoke confidently as he moved around the counter. “Minhyuk has a crush,” Hyungwon said flatly, continuing his work. 

Minhyuk’s eyes quickly jumped from Hyungwon to Kihyun, who gasped and let his mouth slowly hang open with a smile. 

“What?” Kihyun said, his face scrunching. “On who Minhyuk? Please tell all, spare no details!” 

Minhyuk felt sweat begin to prickle in between the crevices of his palms causing him to stick the pen in his hand behind one of his ears. He quickly rubbed his hands against his jeans hoping release the anxiousness that now filled his veins. 

He shook his head. “No, it’s nothing. Hyungwon doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he said, moderately frightened. 

Hyungwon finally looked up at Minhyuk; his glasses at the tip of his nose and his eyebrows raised. “You’re telling me that the frustrated, try hard flirting that I heard when I was upstairs, was nothing? I wouldn’t lie, Minhyuk. I know Hoseok pretty well, I can easily put in a good word for you,” Hyungwon teased with the corner of his left cheek rising in a smirk. 

Minhyuk looked back to Kihyun who was dramatically expressing shock with his head placed gently in his hands while his arms propped up his loose hanging jaw. 

“You like Hoseok?” Kihyun mimicked, his voice reaching a higher octave than normal. “And you were flirting with him? This is so scandalous! The tattooed boy in love with the flower boy across the street that's so adorable.” 

Suddenly, Minhyuk heard a chuckle from the back of the room coming from Hyunwoo.

“No, Hyunwoo, not you too!” Minhyuk groaned. “Why are you guys doing this to me?”

Hyungwon laughed, “Because you didn’t see your face while you were talking to him. You looked like a damn puppy. It was the cutest, yet saddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

At this point, Kihyun was now laughing absurdly in his hands as he witnessed Minhyuk’s best friend clearly torture him. 

“Listen fine, say what you want,” Minhyuk caved, accepting his fate wholeheartedly. “I guess I can’t deny any of it, but it was not that dramatic, Hyungwon. Pathetic, maybe, but not that exciting.”

Hyungwon chuckled and crossed his arms. Kihyun was wiping away the tears that puddled in his eyes from laughter, and Hyunwoo still had a smile on his face from the melodrama.

“Okay, this is fair. What else do you guys got?” Minhyuk challenged, leaning against the counter. 

“Oh, now you’re gonna act tough?” Kihyun questioned, standing up from his seat. “Go over there now. Say something. Ask him out.”

Hyungwon laughed obnoxiously, covering his mouth from his hand, embarrassed by the sudden outburst. Hyunwoo smiled sheepishly, stepping closer to where Minhyuk and Hyungwon stood, completely invested in Minhyuk’s next move. 

Hyungwon glanced at his phone. “It’s almost five, their closing time. You’re gonna have to run over there. Get that date.” 

Kihyun’s eyes moved slowly to meet Hyungwon’s gaze, and licked his lips. “He won’t.”

“He will,” Hyungwon immediately fired back.

“How old are you?” Minhyuk questioned Kihyun. His face scrunching with moderate disgust at Kihyun’s behavior, but Minhyuk loved it. He enjoyed a challenge. Especially from Kihyun. 

“I’m six and a half,” Kihyun retorted proudly, causing Minhyuk’s eyes to roll to the back of his skull.

Hyunwoo was at his station, cleaning and straightening up his space. “What do you have to lose Minhyuk?” he hollered. 

Minhyuk peered at his coworkers and found his eyes wandering towards the window and across the street at Infinity Petals. He could see Hoseok shuffling around the shop. With a sigh, Minhyuk took the pen tucked behind it ear and jumped of the stool. 

“Try not to miss me,” Minhyuk said.

At the same time, Hyungwon said, “Good luck, lover boy,” and Kihyun shouted “I won’t!” as Minhyuk found himself opening the front door and walking towards Hoseok’s store. As he crossed the street, he felt his palms get clammy again, and wiped them on his ripped jeans. He could do this. He could easily do this, but for some reason this entire situation felt entirely intimidating. There was something about Hoseok’s presence that stunned Minhyuk speechless, petrifying him completely. 

Minhyuk rested on the fact that Hoseok was simply entirely too handsome. 

As Minhyuk entered the threshold of the door, he was taken aback by the sincere tranquility and peacefulness of the tiny flower shop. He stopped in his tracks once walking through the frame and let his eyes wander from his position. 

Minhyuk’s eyes never lingered on something too long. Although the store was completely tiny, it was overflowing with lush greens and blooming vibrant buds. There were pots of all sizes holding delicate looking flowers, small racks filled with packs of seeds, columns of stacked empty pots, and several bouquets resting near the counter. Despite only seeing small sections of the walls behind leaves and vines, Minhyuk saw that the perimeter was painted a charcoal grey and deep navy, only accentuating the tranquility of the store while the floor was a dark wood that creaked every time Minhyuk would lean a certain way. It was audibly silent, except for the sound of the air conditioning and the subtle babble of water flowing through a small fountain next to the register. The flower shop seemed entirely plucked from a fantasy, like Minhyuk stepped into a whole new world without bustling, busy tattoo parlors. 

Suddenly, Minhyuk could hear someone approaching from the back door. Hoseok stepped from behind the arched frame hidden behind the register counter. He wiped his hands on his apron as soil residue leaves trails marking the fabric. He looked up, seeing Minhyuk, and he took a step back, completely shocked by who he saw in front of him. His jaw unhinged ever so slightly, making a small “O” shape with his mouth. 

“Well, you’re not who I expected to see walk in here… ever,” Hoseok offered. 

Minhyuk smiled. Hearing Hoseok’s voice gave him the slightest warmth rising in his stomach. He couldn’t help the feeling that washed over him in waves as he stood in front of Hoseok. It almost hurt. 

“I wanted to come by and say hi. Meet my new neighbors,” Minhyuk proposed.

Hoseok smirked, “So you’ve been introducing yourself to everyone up and down this street?” He raised an eyebrow, the small grin still wedged between his cheeks. 

Minhyuk could feel his ears turn red. 

“I also wanted to look at… flowers.” Why did it have to be flowers? He shouldn’t have to explain to Hoseok how it was impossible for Minhyuk to keep anything alive. He knew that he would probably be doing all the plants in the room a favor by leaving immediately. 

“Looking for something to fill your cherry blossom needs?” Hoseok teased, tugging on his rolled up sleeves. “Can’t say we can help you there, but maybe you’re interested in a bonsai. I think that’s more your pace anyway.”

Hoseok actually considered Minhyuk’s comment and Minhyuk didn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise. He loved hearing the way Hoseok talked about the flowers, the care that goes into keeping them healthy, and the way that those flowers brought him pure bliss without even admitting it. 

So Minhyuk decided to play along.

“I really like nature,” Minhyuk began. “Flowers are beautiful and there’s nothing like natural beauty. Everything from the colors to their purity to the hidden meaning behind some. I feel like this is part of my calling. I need more if surrounding me. Tattoos just aren’t enough.” 

Hoseok laughed. “If my partner heard you right now, I think he’d say you sounded a lot like me.”

Minhyuk gulped, loud enough for the sound to ring in his ears. “Sound like you?”

“I don’t know if Jooheon sees me as a workaholic or just someone too obsessed with plants, but it’s true. I like them a lot too. This isn’t just a hobby, I own this place. It’s been mine from the start. Jooheon helps more with the business and financial aspect of owning this story, but Infinity has been mine from the beginning. I was the one that brought it to life,” Hoseok mentioned, leaning against the counter. His eyes no longer met Minhyuk’s as they graced the floor. “But enough about me, let’s start with you.”

Minhyuk wanted to slow down and put this whole conversation on pause. He needed Hoseok to talk more about himself; he wanted to know everything running through Hoseok’s head. He just simply wanted to know Hoseok better even if that meant playing a game of twenty questions. Minhyuk would easily listen to Hoseok and never return to Electric Lotus ever again. 

Words hover in Minhyuk’s head, and as he desperately tried to search for something to stay, he couldn’t. He shuffled his feet and muttered, “Uh, well-”

“Wait,” Hoseok interrupted, “Just follow me. I’ll give you a tour and we’ll figure something out for you that way.” 

Minhyuk nodded, feeling unlike himself than ever before. Banter with Kihyun and Hyungwon was almost too easy, but Minhyuk felt as if he buried his personality along with his sense of humor once he walked into Hoseok’s store. Instead he let Hoseok fill the silence with the allure of his voice and allowed the hum of his words echo throughout the shop. Minhyuk barely paid attention to what Hoseok saying; instead, he listened to the sound of Hoseok’s voice and how the words trickled from his lips. The melodic timbre of his expressions and the way he enunciated specific sounds was close to hypnotizing. Regardless of the trance Hoseok put him under, he walked around the small shop with Hoseok as he pointed out plants and flowers, gushing about his favorites, the hidden meanings, the care for them, and most importantly, his overall love for their natural beauty. Minhyuk could physically see the differences in Hoseok’s grins as he introduced Minhyuk to the different flowers around the shop, one bigger than the last. 

“So that’s about it,” Hoseok said, rearing himself next to the register. He placed his hands deep in his pockets. “That’s Infinity.” He gave Minhyuk a smile. “So, what are you thinking?”

Minhyuk currently had many things on his mind, but flowers were the bottom of the list. This trip had been an absolute nightmare, something he wasn’t prepared for, and something he didn’t think he needed to mentally prepare for; but, here Minhyuk was, unable to ask someone he liked on a date. He choked, and there was no way to recover from the nerves. 

Suddenly, an object landed itself on the counter causing Minhyuk to scream out in terror. He jolted backwards from freight, but he soon realized that the cause of his horror was a cat. An extremely large, rather fluffy, grey cat. It stood still and meowed loudly at Minhyuk. 

Hoseok, on the other hand, couldn’t stop laughing at Minhyuk’s reaction. He was clutching his stomach with one arm and tried stifling his laughter with his opposite hand. His giggles still escaped his mouth and he couldn’t help himself from containing his outburst.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Hoseok finally said, wiping away tears in his eyes. “This is our store cat, Blue. He kind of runs this place.” Hoseok leaned across the table and scratched Blue’s head who beamed up at him with his dark, bulbous eyes, and meowed. 

“I’m glad my state of being terrified is amusing to you,” Minhyuk laughed. “This little thing had my heart racing.” Minhyuk looked at the cat that beamed up at him. He realized that now would be the best time to ask Hoseok for that date. 

“So, Hoseok,” Minhyuk began, looking at the dark haired man with his fists stuffed back in his apron. The way that Hoseok looked at Minhyuk caused knots to form in his stomach. The gaze told Minhyuk everything he needed to know: this wasn’t the time. “What do you recommended?”

Hoseok pursed his lips to the corner and pondered Minhyuk’s question. 

“I think you need to walk away with a bonsai,” Hoseok replied, steering himself from the conversation, and shuffling to one side of the shop. He squatted for a while, glancing around for something specific, and came up holding a beautiful, miniature tree in a sleek, dark blue pot. He handed it to Minhyuk who held it firmly in his hands. “What do you think?”

It was subtle, but stunning, and Hoseok really couldn’t have chose something better for Minhyuk.

“I love it. It’s perfect,” Minhyuk smiled and set the plant on the cash register. 

As Minhyuk checked out, Hoseok told him all about the care for his new blossoming, green friend. Minhyuk could barely hear the sound of Hoseok’s voice over the pounding of his heart as he struck out. 

“And,” Hoseok continued. “I’m going to give you a discount. A friends with benefits kind of thing.” 

Minhyuk stopped himself in the moment he was able to reach for his wallet and stared at Hoseok, who winked and laughed, taking Minhyuk’s card and swiping it. Minhyuk could only muster a nervous laugh in return as he could feel heat rush to his ears as he became flustered.

Suddenly, Minhyuk found enough strength to clear his throat. “Thanks for all your help,” Minhyuk said. “I have a window right next to my studio area that could some pretty green.” He held the small plant up to his eyes and admired it closely, actually content that he was forced to come up with some gimmick to cover himself for coming into the shop. 

“Anytime,” Hoseok said. “It’s what I’m here for and I’m always happy to help.” 

Minhyuk, reluctant to say goodbye, yet could not wait to leave Infinity Petals simultaneously, waved his goodbyes to the extremely attractive man behind the counter, along with his cat. Once out the door, he stood across the street from Electric Lotus, holding his breath realizing his dooming fate once he walked back into the shop.

Leaning against the counter was Kihyun with his arms folded and waiting for Minhyuk’s arrival. “Well?”

Minhyuk stood in the doorway, narrowing his eyes at Kihyun who had a devious grin plastered to his face. 

“I hate you,” Minhyuk seethed and walked behind the counter. 

“What? How did it go?” Kihyun mimicked.

“Kihyun,” Minhyuk started, wanting to aggressively drop the plant on the counter for dramatics, but decided against it. 

Hyunwoo came out from his corner of the shop. “You bought a plant?” he asked, which resulted in Kihyun laughing so hard, he doubled over.

“What was your plan Minhyuk? Romance him with your black thumb?” Kihyun snorted in between laughs and wiping the tears forming in his eyes away. 

“Bite me, Kihyun,” Minhyuk said. “I just panicked, okay?” Minhyuk pulled the desk stool from underneath the counter and took a seat. He sighed, unwilling to admit someone like himself was unable to ask someone on a date: someone who was nice, and too attractive for his own good, and not to mention a great sense of humor. 

What Minhyuk could not do was tell the guys at the shop that he froze because the way that Hoseok looked at him. It wasn’t right. What if Hoseok wasn’t interested? Then Minhyuk would’ve been the guy that was hitting on Hoseok while he was working, and he really didn’t want that title. 

“You got it pretty bad, Minhyuk. Haven’t seen you like this since college,” Hyungwon mentioned, leaning over the counter. “Lovesick is a good color on you.”

“That’s not lovesick you see. It’s actually a nice shade of pathetic,” Minhyuk joked, running his hands through his hair. He could easily add to the ridicule of himself. It eased some of the tension. 

Walking past the counter, Hyunwoo patted Minhyuk’s back. A gesture that, out of all the guy’s, was actually sincere. He knew that Hyunwoo would never tease Minhyuk the way that Hyungwon and Kihyun did. He gave Hyunwoo a slight nod referencing a thank you before Hyunwoo went back to working. 

However, Kihyun and Hyungwon stuck around like flies to honey. 

“Listen Minhyuk,” Kihyun started, sipping on a new ice coffee. “You deal with needles all day every day. You listen to people complain day in and day out about what you do for a living. You have sat through hours of tattooing yourself, and you’re telling me that asking a guy, who you seemingly like by the way, out is more difficult and painful than any of that?”

Minhyuk looked at Kihyun and could feel the heaviness of his chest as he glared at his friend, who was teetering on the definition of the word at the moment. 

“Kihyun, shut up.” Minhyuk rolled his eyes, which caused Kihyun let out a devious cackle before returning to his station. 

“You’ll be okay, lover boy,” Hyungwon said, wrapping his arm around his friend and quickly pulling away.

Restless, Minhyuk hopped off the stool and stood up from the front desk. He grabbed the bonsai tree and held it close to his body as he marched up the spiral staircase. As he walked to the corner that he called his, Minhyuk left the bonsai on a small table near a window, allowing it to thrive in the sun. He stood back looking at the lush green leaves of the miniature plant and back at the orchids painted on his easel from the days prior. Minhyuk held his breath and dragged his hand down his face as he tried to shake the image of the dark haired florist across the street filling his thoughts and consuming his daydreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, Kihyun is my favorite part of this whole thing lmao here's to me still hoping this isn't boring (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞


End file.
